@DG how so? Most likely it will be superseded by the next Xbox so unless MS are going to allow some sort of upgrade path (not likely) or make the X the base for next gen (possible given the idea of a "family" of devices) getting an X to future proof does not seem like a good idea.

Review

Aquaman

Anything but a damp squib.

Let’s be honest, overall the DCEU has not impressed. Even DC Comics fans have not enjoyed the best adaptations of some of the oldest superhero characters. But all of that is changing, first with Wonder Woman and now with James Wan’s Aquaman. The film is a rollicking adventure that leans into the ridiculous and fun, and leaves the darkness of the Snyder-verse far behind, despite many opportunities to wallow in that darkness.

The film begins with a voice over, the adult Arthur Curry, quickly running through how his parents met and his first couple of years. Nicole Kidman plays his mother Atlanna and Temuera Morrison, his father Tom. Their initial happy years are interrupted by Atlantis politics as Atlanna must go back to keep Arthur and his father safe. This abbreviated origin is one of the difficulties facing James Wan as the film has to cram in Arthur’s origin, his conflict with being half-Atlantean and half-surface dweller, the machinations of his half-brother Orm, and the hero’s journey that Arthur embarks on to become the King and hero of Atlantis that the surface world needs. I haven’t even mentioned the Mera romance because it is completely half-baked and the chemistry between the ever-charming Jason Momoa and brilliant actor Amber Heard is just non-existent.

The film moves at a breakneck speed from action set piece to action set piece as if it is too afraid that audiences will catch on to the absurdity of the premise if it takes time to develop the quieter moments. If audiences can accept the absurdity of Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarök, they can accept the story of a fishman.

Jason Momoa’s Arthur is interesting; he is certainly charming and likeable, but his central conflict with Atlantis gets no development time.

Within the first twenty minutes you get Alanna defending her child and husband in a wonderful close-quarter combat fight, then we get Arthur rescuing Russian submariners from the villainous Black Manta and, in the act, Michael Beach gets the briefest moment to shine as Manta’s father and the motivator for Manta’s vengeance. The introduction is so short that when Manta appears later and gets his own shining moment as an engineer, reverse engineering Atlantean tech into his final armour and weapons, it feels so unearned as we have no idea that he is this amazing engineer. He is essentially a henchman and secondary to Orm’s Oceanmaster, a criminal waste of one of Aquaman’s most dangerous foes.

Jason Momoa’s Arthur is interesting; he is certainly charming and likeable, but his central conflict with Atlantis gets no development time. He clearly loves his powers, he smiles often and quips just as often, but his reluctance to help Mera and Vulko to stop the coming war is just not developed as well as it could. This is probably partly due to the amount of origin that is crammed in and the limitations of Momoa as an actor and Wan as a director, but Momoa’s inherent charm, reminiscent of Dwayne Johnson, carries the film and the audience on this wild ride. If he and Johnson were ever to share screen time as Aquaman and Black Adam, I think that film reels would catch fire from the sheer heat these two will generate.

The film certainly brings the ocean to life. Atlantis itself reminds me of Asgard - it even has its own version of the Rainbow Bridge, as well as Sakara from Thor: Ragnarök. It is colourful, awe-inspiring and a marvel to behold. Unfortunately, we don’t spend enough time in Atlantis, but what we do see makes me want to see a sequel focusing on that city and its inhabitants who seem to still be stuck in a Roman-esque society, complete with a love for arena blood sports.

The design philosophy extends to that of the armours and ships of the various armies. They are wonderfully detailed for each of the human undersea kingdoms and look to be functional as weapons of war. The ships range from Orm’s flagship that mimics a Hammerhead shark to turtle-like troop carrier and Eel attack craft.

The actors all float through the film as if this were filmed underwater with their hair floating and moving realistically.

Added to this are the CGI sharks, sea horses and dinosaurs that act as mounts for the warriors. These along with the Fisherman, Brine and Trench Kingdom warriors of Mermen, Crabmen and Spinyfish-men aren’t always convincing, but are good enough during quick cuts. What is impressive are the swimming effects. The actors all float through the film as if this were filmed underwater with their hair floating and moving realistically. Unlike Aquaman’s brief intro in Batman v Superman where you could see Momoa holding his breath, here they talk as if they are on the surface. It is extremely impressive and I would be interested in the Behind the Scenes featurette on the DVD release (ed - DVD? What's that?).

As mentioned, the film is a barrage of action set pieces and Wan continues to develop his exceptional eye for action cinematography. Unlike the Marvel action choreography, he uses fewer fast cuts allowing you to follow the action. The fights between Orm and Arthur and the Sicilian chase scene are brilliantly choregraphed, especially the latter. Watching that rooftop chase between the Atlantean commandos and Mera reminded me of the Fast 5 scene mixed with the rooftop chase between Jason Bourne and Desh in The Bourne Supremacy. Mera has a few moments to shine, but her use of wine in this scene makes me wish that she had had an enemy of her own to face off against instead of generic Atlanteans. Wan’s horror roots do peek through every so often as he uses jump scares to transition from exposition to action. It works for the first couple of scenes but becomes tiresome. The one scene in the third act with the stormy night and flight where it should be most effective is lost because he has used it so often.

The film does suffer from comic adaptation cliché in that it devolves into a big CGI battle and then a one-on-one fight between Arthur and Orm. This visual overload and noise is eased by the effective fight choreography, keeping you invested, but I honestly hope that a comic book adaptation will soon move away from this style of climactic battle.

(MILD SPOILER) In another move signifying that the darkness of the Snyder-verse is a thing of the past, the film ends on what looks to be a positive note as Orm is given a chance to redeem himself and Arthur extends an olive branch. There is another twist that is obvious and without spoiling it, I will say it is also a happy ending.

Aquaman is big, bombastic and most importantly, fun. It is colourful and shows off Aquaman as the powerhouse that he is instead of the joke many think he is. It is far better than any of the other films that he was in, is on par with Wonder Woman and signifies a welcomed change in direction for the DCEU. It does not reach the heights of The Winter Soldier but can stand toe to toe with Thor: Ragnarök. This is the perfect December popcorn film, go watch it!